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Thursday, 28 February 2013

I love Fashion. I love having the diversity of changing your style from one crazy look to another. However, I feel that my style is undefined - as one day I'll dress like a rock chick with my studded litas, wet look leggings, wet look skater skirt & spiked leather jacket, and the next i'll be the most floral, feminine female with my pastel pink blazer and cream skater dress. So basically, if i'm in a bad mood - I will settle for dark, deep colours with my Alexander McQueen scarf.

Being a poor student, I can't really afford high priced goods & rely on student discounts - but nevertheless, I have my favourite brands:

Missguided:

I really like this brand! and at the moment they are holding a sale AND offering free delievery! check out my link at the side of the post :)

I love the 'graphic content' & 'bold colour' looks this SS13 & the brand incorporates it brilliant. The crop word top is especially a favourite of mine!

A X Paris

A X Paris have always been a favourite of mine for dresses - and I'm happy to see the brand expand! They always do brilliant student offers & quality prices.

The midi is definitely in this season & I am in love with theres! classy but sexy!

I will update some more of my looks later next month!

Lauren
xoxo

p.s. stay tuned for my 'Fashion from Leeds' post coming up at the weekend!

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Providing an insight to
the lifestyle of a care home, Ricky Gervais’ new show Derek is far from
brilliant, and this can be justified even in the third episode.

Using the Same mocumentary
style that has featured in his hit show The Office, the production of the show
seems unthought-of as the use of awkward
silences seems too much like an actor who has forgot his lines & is trying
to improvise. The use of monologues from
the characters doesn’t gel with the scene and seems to have been thrown in
rather than produced. Is this really an award winning way of writing a hit
programme?

The storyline is bland but
hard-hitting at times – the main character of Derek (Gervais) seems to have
learning difficulties and volunteers at the care home, although this is not
clear. His friend Dougie, who is played by Idiot Abroad star Carl Pilkington, Is
the care home handy man. Again, his character seems awkward, but his
performance in the later scene in which he tells Marge’s daughter that she is a
magpie is down-to-earth, and reveals the disheartening truth about realities of
care homes & how the relationship of children and parents can change with
age.

Overall, I believe that
the program is a dismal and not a true reflection into Gervais’ work, mixing
hard-hitting issues & using comedy to try (and fail) to soften the blow.
His style of writing is not for me but may be a hit with his fans as it can be
compared to The Office.

Being a commuting
student, I travel on godforsaken,
untimely buses regularly.

Women blaring on their
phones ranting on about their insufficient lovers, toddlers screaming at the
top of their lungs and grannies that won’t shut up about their pet dog Norris. Not to mention the drivers who are either
checking you out or wouldn’t help you if you were on fire.

Sometimes I wonder why
I don’t just buy a banger & use that – oh yeah, the unaffordable insurance.

I am a very polite
person – letting the elderly have a seat and listening to them nag about ‘our
generation’ being rude. However, I can’t help but find them hypocritical.

A perfect example
happened to me yesterday whilst I was waiting for my bus back to Belper. There
was a pretty long queue due to the unreliable Trent Barton & I was near the
front.

To the left of me was
this old women who just seemed to hover, taking no notice of the queue. She
went on to fetch her ticket from the office & had the nerve to push in
behind me – claiming that she was here before everyone else.

And what’s worse? She
was then moaning about a young girl who had ‘pushed’ to the front. Really she
was waiting for the next bus, and I couldn’t help but feel anger towards the
old women.

Using the bus service,
you expect to be treated fairly and like a human, not like a zoo animal. Well –
so I thought!

Welcome to my new blog! I hope for great things to come from this blog so here's a start!

I was lucky enough to be sent the 'Get Hooked' gift set by Macadamia natural oil - a brand that uses macadamia oil infused with other natural ingredients to create superior hair care products. And with the brand receiving a number of rewards, it must be good! The gift set contained 2 products:- a 30ml sample of the Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment & 30ml Deep Repair Masque. The oil is suitable for all hair types & boasts about being nourishing, de-tangling hair & generally making your hair easier to manage.

When I was using these product, there was one thing that struck me straight away - the gorgeous yet alluring smell! you can really smell the macadamia oil & it is divinely sweet! I decided that I would use the mask first as it made sense to do so. It recommended that you left on the masque on for 7 minutes & to put it on wet hair. However, I decided to leave the mask on for about an hiur as I wanted to get the full benefit. The masque was a peachy/orange consistency and smelt divine. After I washed the masque, my hair felt and looked physically healthier - which I was pleasantly surprised about seeing as my hair had been over processed for so long.

The healing treatment sealed the deal & I was completely amazed by it! It really felt like my hair was healing! my hair was smooth, UV protected & became easily de tangled & I sincerely recommend the product. In fact, I shall be ordering both of these as soon as my pay check comes through!

The products can be purchased from their website & see for yourself the amazing goodness!

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Firstly, for those who don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I GOT BEYONCE TICKETS!!

YES! I get to see the Queen B in all her glory on the 26th of April with my lovely little sister!

And, what's better?

I am also writing a review for The Nottingham Post, which is the regional paper in Nottingham, on the show! EEEEEK!!!

Secondly, I am going to Y Not Festival!

The Nottingham Post are sending me to the festival to review! and I get to take my lovely journalist friend Stephanie Mulholland aka Thoughts of a Wannabe Journalist, so stay tuned for that and visit her blog!

Although this is overwhelming, I will definitely still keep up with the blog - sharing all my beauty tricks and fashion finds!

As you know, I very recently went from platinum/bleach blonde to a nice, dark brown. Well, today I am finally going to review the dye that I used - Garnier Olia Permenant hair colour.

Garnier have boasted about the colour being the first home hair colour of it's time to be powered by oil & to contain no ammonia. With

it being a permenant hair dye, I really wanted to try this dye as my hair was in desperate need of some TLC! Although I do not have grey hair (yet) it also says that it covers all grey hairs, YAY! I decided that I wanted to go for a really dark brown as I thought it would make my eyes pop & ended up going for the Dark Brown 4.0. I brought 2 boxes as my hair is rather long & in the boxes I got: a bottle of developer (1), the colourant (2), the silk & shine conditioner (3), the pear-shaped applicator & a pair of black gloves. The bottle was a really useful, and fit the shape of my hand

perfectly. The whole application was really easy & with it being the first hair application by myself, I was really impressed by it. Also, I noticed that the whole 'colouring smell' was not strong - well, I couldn't even smell it! - and after being so used to the horrid smell of bleach, I couldn't help but smile! The colour needs to be on your hair for a total of 30 minutes & after rinsing you can use the Silk & Shine conditioner. I REALLY like this product & couldn't help touching my hair & watching the colour dance in the light.

My opinion? I will be using this colour again! I love how dark my hair colour came out & how it flatters my skin tone. If you are thinking about going from blonde to brunette, you may need to dye your hair twice as you hair will be very porpous & the red/warm tones need to be put back into your hair.

So, Do you like my brown? or do you want your blonde journalist back!Lauren xoxo

For the past few weeks I have been ooohing and awwwing about dying my luscious blonde hair to a pastel pink. I had been waiting for the L'Oreal Pastel Pink to become available in the Derby or Nottingham Boots but I'm an extremely inpatient person! So, I went to my alternative hair store Xpression and brought this:

For light/bleached hair, I thought it would be perfect for my hair. How wrong was I!

Firstly, the mixture was extremely runny - It could be just preference but I prefer a thicker consistancy.

Secondly, & probably the worst part: I brought TWO bottles of EXACTLY the same product, colour everything. And guess what? one colour was DARKER than the other. I was horrified!

After watering the colour with conditioner, and leaving the colour on for 1 hour I was left with this:

The photos are a little deceiving - the colour came out patchy, bright pink in some places and peachy in others. I absolutely hated it! My hair was bleach blonde/platinum blonde and I do not understand why the hair colour came out this way.

I sincerely do not recommend the brand, and recommend that you use Directions pink mixed with conditioner.

Friday, 15 February 2013

How One song can mean so much to you. It may not even be relevant to you or your situation - but somehow, a song will have an influence in your life.

For example; the song A Song For Whoever by The Beautiful South shouldn't really be counted as a love song but to me, it's one of the key songs for my relationship.

I mean, the song is basically insinuating that he only uses the women in order to get a number one track. Not exactly my idea of romance.

And yet, I love the song! As, for me, it has appeared in many key parts of my life. When I began to fall in love with Ryan & he would cuddle me while playing the song, Me realising that I needed to be with him when we split up &, it also confirmed our love - making it one of 'our' songs.

Bit of a random post, but it just go me thinking - most couples have a song; their first kiss, making love, falling in love with one and other. The power of music is far more powerful that isseems...

Thursday, 14 February 2013

Lovelies,This will be a quick review on a new gem that I have discovered!L'Occitane, founded in 1976, is a brand which specialises in looking after the community, creating sustainability in the products that they use such as honey or lavender & have even created a foundation to help Burkina woman who farm Shea butter.Using the L'Occitane voucher that I was given, I decided to purchase the Honey hand cream (worth £8) which uses both honey & Shea butter to moisturise, protect & soften your hands.Due to working in a Fast Food restaurant, I have terrible skin on my arms & hands. Although I love Hand Food by Soap & Glory - L'Occitane have made an exceptional hand cream!The smell is absolutely delightful! The rich honey smell really is tantalising! The cream itself really does do wonders for your hands. I've only used it for a day and have already fell in love. Although the cream is expensive for saying its £8 for 30ml, I really do like & recommend the cream.What's your favourite hand cream?Laurenxoxo

I've always been a fan of this holiday - the sense of being surrounded by love, the affection shown by loved-up couples, the butterflies in your stomach feeling when you receive a card from a mystery lover! It's all so romantic, and being a soppy romantic myself I just absorb the feeling.

I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share a little more of my personal life - my long term boyfriend Ryan:

He is slightly older than me (19) & we have been together for 2 years and 4 months. He is my absolute world & I don't know what I would do without him - the guy knows me inside out. He inspires me to carry on with my dreams of being a journalist & is always there for me. All in all, he is a brilliant guy &, most importantly, my first love.

Tonight, I get to spend the evening eating a take out & watching girly RomCom movies (he loves them!) and just spend some nessesary 'us' time together - I cannot wait!

But, I want to give a little glimpse of hope to the singletons who may have lost hope in finding the one. Me & Ryan were friends before we got together - I've seen him in relationships & he has seen me in them. We are complete opposites but I think that's what makes us work. He stops me from being an obsessive workaholic & tells me to enjoy myself - and I'm eternally grateful. My point? I never thought I would find love like this - don't try to force yourself to find love. Let love find you. Date, have fun! Because the big guy upstairs does have a plan for you! Or destiny if you prefer ;)

Love isn't easy - never give up!

Oh! And I want to say a big THANK YOU to all the people who follow my blog & have liked my posts - you really mean a lot to me!

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

The thought of summer may seem a lifetime away, but it’s never too early to begin stocking your wardrobe with the latest summer trends. After the Spring/Summer 2013 collections were revealed in late 2012, there was a lot of buzz created about some of the key trends displayed. Here are my top five favourite trends and how you can incorporate it in your wardrobe.

Graphic Content

This style is definatly not for the faint-hearted! These outrageous, bold prints are really a head turner. These prints vary from futuristic squares, continental patterns and the timeless leopard print. Being worn as an oversized top or dress, the trend can be easily worn with plain jeans or matching print items.

Bringing back the sixties

The sixties are back! Which means your inner Twiggy can be born. The mini dresses, the black and white spots or strips combo, this is the ultimate chic look - this trend promises to be a hit on the high street, being incorporated by Topshop & the online giant ASOS. So grab your round sunglasses, prepare your beehive and put on your checked coats!

Florescent Bold colours

Wanting to make an impression this season and stand out for the crowd? Well, this may be the trend for you! Like the Graphic Content trend, this is not for the faint hearted minimalist. Bright pinks, yellows and greens are hot this season and can be easily worn with a bright pair of jeans, a dress or shoes to give you that ‘wow’ factor.

The Bomber Jacket

One of the key fashion items this season – the bomber jacket has had a fashion makeover, being fashioned in silk, leather and satin & defined with a mixture of prints and patterns. The jacket can be worn simply with jeans or to give an edge to your look with a leather skirt.

90’s Nostalgia

And finally, we’re brought back to the nineties! The light washed jeans, the slogan jumpers and PVC hats give the trend a fun edge. The grudge look can be worn simply as a slogan jumper and shorts or, as Balmain styled, use a jumpsuit!

Everyone who is interested in make up will have heard of the Urban Decay Naked palettes - a mixture of neutral eyeshadow's consisting of matte & shimmer shades. Anyone who has ever attempted to try & buy the palette will know how expensive it is (worth the price, may be so).

However, the make up team at MUA have given them a run for their money - by creating two dupe palettes at a fraction of the price! The Undressed & Undress Me too (Naked & Naked 2)

Today's review is on the newest palette - Undress Me Too - which sold 1,000 copies in the first day (yes, they're THAT good!)

Here's some swatches:

As you can see, they are quite shimmery but the pigment of the colours are incredible for saying that the palette is only £4 from their website. Now, to compare to the actual Urban Decay Palette:

Pretty good duplication if you ask me!

In my opinion, although I do like Urban Decays palettes - not everyone can afford them & MUA have made an exceptional duplication of the product which is extremely purse friendly. Keep up the work MUA!

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Ever had a really bad haircut? Or a hairdresser taking off a good 5 inche because you needed a 'good trim' (pfft, trim my bottom!) Well, fear no more! As I have been willing enough to test a shampoo that boasts about how it increases the growth of hair!

I am a sceptic, always have been so as soon as I saw what this shampoo was supposed to do - I had to try it. So, after a few days, I received a few samples of the product in the post.

'FAST (Fortified Amino Scalp Therapy) is a deep cleasing shampoo & condtioner that specifically made to stimulate faster hair growth, addressing all sorts of hair problems like a bad haircut, slow growing hair and even weak dry hair that is prone to breakage.'

The hair products are full of vital vitamins such as Cystine, cysteine and methionine which are sulfur containing amino acids. Over 90% of the dry weight of hair comprises proteins called keratins, which have high disulfide content, from the amino acid cysteine. Methionine is able to strengthen the structure of hair and nails.

Amino Acids help build hair follicles & so, encourage hair growth. Also, the process in which you apply the shampoo stimulates your blood in the scalp, which again helps hair growth.

The Results: Well, I have got to hand it to them - It really works! My hair does grow quite quick but I have noticed that It grows even faster with this product - a good 5 cm over 10 days! And I seriously recommend it! Although the treatment doesn't come cheap at £24.99 for both the bottles.

Firstly, I will be reviewing the amazing FAST shampoo & conditioner which has took the world by storm!

& also, the MUA Undress me too palette, which I think you'll enjoy!

However, I want to talk to you about my goldilocks. I am in two minds into changing my hair colour to .... Wait for it. ... PINK! Yes pink! I really want to go a pastel pink (like the new feria colour available at boots) & then the raspberry rebel by LIVE XXL!

Friday, 8 February 2013

This post will probably be very short in length but I cannot contain my excitement! Today I have had two very exciting pieces of news:

1. I have gotten back some of my results

For saying these pieces were one of my first deadlines, I am exceptionally happy to say that I gained a High 2/2 in my assessments! (which is basically a C) I am over the moon as one of the pieces was unedited because I stupidly gave in the wrong piece :( But still, I'm thrilled!

2. I have got my first printed piece!

YAYAYAY! Although I adore my blog & it's amazing followers (Yes, you!) I have managed to get an article in my university paper! EEEK! exciting stuff

Sorry if you can't read it, it was the best I could do :)

Also, a little note aswell: I wanted all my followers that I love them very dearly & apprewciate everything you are doing. I hope for many more great posts to come!

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Well it's pretty late here in Ye Olde Derbyshire but I thought it would only be fair to justify my recent absence, which I apologise for.

Again, University has took it's toll on my life & i've had 3 piece of work to complete in under 2 weeks (deamn journos and their deadlines) & on top of that, I've been writing an article which will soon be published for the Nottingham Trent University Paper. This will be my official first piece of published work & I am extremely excited about this!

I also have been trying to spend alot of time with my long-term boyfriend Ryan because he's been going through a rought time & thats how I am when it comes to him! He is my absolute world!

However, I have had a few products sent to me which I am currently reviewing - including hair and body items so stay tuned lovelies!

For some extraordinary reason my previous Lush review has been deleted so I am going to do an all-round review on a few products on Lush (Yay!)

I first starting using the products on boxing day when I brought my first ever gift set and products. Since then, they've become an everyday essential in my beauty regime.

Vanilla Dee-lite: My ALL TIME favorite lush product. This classic body butter has the most indulgent smell I have every smelt in a product (aside from perfume) as it is infused with vanilla pods. Not only does it make me smell great, It makes my skin feel so soft!

Snow Fairy shower gel: This shower gel really does take me back to my childhood. The sweet, incising smell just makes me feel like a child in a sweetie shop! and with the lquid being pink, How can I resist?

Retread conditioner: This conditioner makes my hair feel extra soft & seems to help my split ends. This is due to it being infused with Olive, Jojoba and Avocado oils to give a deep condition. This also reminds me that I need to buy some more!

Father Christmas Ball Ballistic: Anyone who has tried this bath bomb know that it really is a festive treat! From the way it fades from pale red to a Christmas tree green mixed with red glitter to the exotic aroma of Mandarin Oil & Orange Flower.

Marilyn Pre-wash treatment: Although I have already done a review on this (which can be found here) I really doe recommend this for any brassy blonde as, not only does it help tone the brassiness, it helps treat brittle blonde hair.

As you know, I am a softy for phone cases and was recommended by a friend to try out a woman called Alexis Vintage Phone Case. This extraordinary woman hand makes phone cases, hand mirrors and most recently USB cables all to your own preference - making each case she does unique. When in the process of deciding what phone case I would like - Alexis came up with the idea of doing something a little bit difference & put a real mirror on the front. Ofcourse, I was extremely excited as this would (for know) be one of a kind.

After a few days of waiting, I was greeted with a package at the door & low and behold:

How beautiful is this? The amount of effort into the detail on the case. It - for me - completely describes femininity & beauty, which I totally love. I also like the fact that inside the case has 2 pockets for cards & a side pocket.

I would really recommend that you take a peek at her site & get your own!

About Me

The small town country girl who is obsessed with beauty and fashion.
My name is Lauren Lee & I am a print journalism student at Nottingham Trent University
Please, follow me! and explore my version of events.